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Drinking as a pastime

Not drinking is really hard (you’re going to hear me say a lot of things are hard because, well, they are). It’s not like I’m an alcoholic that needs to drink all the time but I love the taste of alcohol, in particular, wine. Along with that, and this probably has something to do with being a bartender through college and grad school, one of my favorite activities is to sit at a bar, get a drink (or 2), and chat with the bartenders while people watching. It’s fun to sit at a bar by myself (or with a friend); I always meet great people and it’s a good opportunity to get to know the people working.

I’ve given up drinking for 18 months before and I don’t remember the exact event that led me to start drinking again but I did; and now I need to stop… again. As I mention in my about me, I get stir crazy sitting at home so I often walk down the street to my favorite local bar and hang out for a few hours. In fact, that’s something I wish I were doing right now which is what prompted me to write this post.

Aside from hanging at a bar being my favorite way to pass time, there’s a social element to drinking when I’m out with friends or at music events that I’m missing out on. This past weekend I was at Splash House in Palm Springs, CA and someone asked me (after I told them I don’t drink) what a guy is supposed to offer me if they can’t offer to buy me a drink. No one had asked me that before, and I didn’t really know what to answer. Even as I’m writing this, I don’t know.

Has anyone else thought about this? What’s something you’ve said when a guy/girl you’re interested in has offered to buy you a drink while out?